Note to readers: Every month state and local governments award Tennessee companies millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to create long-lasting jobs. More than $2.5 billion in grants, tax breaks and tax credits are given to businesses in the state each year, according to one estimate.
A partnership of the largest media companies in the state examined those subsidies to answer a simple question: Are they good investments?
The data proved elusive. It took 10 months to gather information from state and local government agencies, including the number of jobs each company created and the value of incentives or tax breaks each company received.
Some agencies didn’t track the information. Others reported contradictory data. The lack of consistent, accurate records makes it difficult for the public and officials to evaluate whether Tennesseans are getting what they paid for.
This project was produced in partnership with the Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.